


Deity's Tears

by Yamino_Yama



Series: Take Wing [2]
Category: Banana Fish
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Dawn's Birdsong spin-off, M/M, Sing as Dragon, Yut Lung as Water God
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-07-29 15:17:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16266857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yamino_Yama/pseuds/Yamino_Yama
Summary: Sing is a water dragon in change of guarding and quelling a young water god who permanently occupies a lake and whose mood affects the weather. Rather than let Yut Lung's boredom create a downpour, Sing goes in search of some gossip that will occupy his spoiled lord, but he discovers a bigger story than he'd expected.





	1. Coiling

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! It's been a while! You're either coming here from “Dawn's Birdsong,” in which case thank you, or you are a new reader! This story will have brief mentions of Ash and Eiji's story, but will also be it's own thing, so if this is the first story you're reading, that is valid and you can feel free to continue (though I do believe “Dawn's Birdsong” would definitely enrich the experience). Also, if you're an anime-only, a character that will appear soon in the show is mentioned in the following notes. Nothing here will really spoil his appearance/role in the original story, but I still feel the need to say proceed with caution.
> 
> This story is based on a Chinese legend, though a Russian mythological creature has also been added to the mix. I'm only going to give brief facts to who/what the characters are based on so please look up more if you're interested. Now let's get straight into the important stuff you should know:
> 
> Yut/Yue Lung (going with Yut Lung for consistency) is based on Gonggong (Kanghui) – water God or monster/red hair/tail of serpent or dragon/destructive/cause of great floods (but in this, Yut Lung will look as originally designed in Banana Fish, ie. No tail or red hair, at least for now ^u^). Gonggong had an associate, Xiang Yao, with nine heads and the body of a snake, but here he has actual snakes in his company
> 
> Sing – based on water dragon, 'yellow dragon*' in particular
> 
> Blanca – 'honorary 'black turtle*' & Vodianoi/Vodianoy – water spirit of Slavic origin/usually black-scaled, web-pawed, and frog-faced (but Blanca is a handsome exception) creature that drowns people and makes them its slave after death/creature is dubbed 'grandfather' or 'forefather' by the local people/Chinese legend has similar vengeful spirits that Sing mentions in Ch.1 called Shui Gui
> 
> *There is way more on yellow dragon and black turtle in legend. For the sake of the story, Blanca is only 'black turtle' by title, while Sing is an actual yellow dragon :) Both will have their own unique abilities that differ from their legend counterparts. Look forward to them!
> 
> With all that said, enjoy this tale that I plan to weave into three chapters, updated weekly on Thursdays. For news of delays and my random musings @Yamino_Yama on Twitter. Comments and kudos, as always, appreciated. ^_~

Sing lie sprawled on the tiled ground, listening to the hiss of the waterfall beside him. Blue was being threatened out of the sky by some grey storm clouds and Sing knew why. With a sigh, he sat up and looked at the being responsible. “In a new bad mood, my lord?” Sing asked.

Across the way, standing in the center of a lake, was his young master, Yut Lung, a water god with great power and too much of a temper fueling it to be trusted. Two snakes slid past Sing and made their way to Yut Lung, swirling about at his feet like lapdogs waiting for a scratch. As was his way, Yut Lung kicked at them and sent them zigzagging away in fear. Sing noticed the scowl on Yut Lung's face and scanned the grey clouds again, already going black and gaining girth. Yep, everything checked out.

“Anything I can do to quell your fury?” Sing called. “You know, before you cause another downpour. The last one lasted two whole days. We might have our own blocked-off area here, but you have control of the weather in a number of worlds, remember. We'll get complaints.”

Yut Lung stomped around, splashing with his arms crossed. Sing thought he was going to get ignored some more, but Yut Lung began walking toward him, stopping at the water's edge where he could never cross onto dry land. “Do you think I care?” he asked, cocking a brow. “I'm stuck here, day in and day out, and I'm supposed to concern myself with beings that will cry at getting a little wet? I have half a mind to flood every world in existence. Maybe, once everything is under water, I can get out of this kiddy pool.”

“You do that,” Sing said, “and we'll have a problem, you and I.”

Yut Lung smiled a crocked smile. “And what would you do about it?”

“I'd leave you here all alone to swim in your wider playground. Try to have fun when pretty much everything alive has drowned and you have no one to run your mouth to.”

“You're just one minuscule bodyguard,” Yut Lung grumbled, “like I'd care if you ran off. Many creatures do well in water,” he added, picking up one of the snakes that had come crawling back to him. “Like this guy here.” The snake stretched and hissed in Sing's face. “Your argument's invalid. You're utterly disposable.”

“Maybe,” Sing admitted. “But I'm one of the few bodyguards that actually gives half a damn about you and isn't just on the job to move up in ranks. You should be grateful I stick around.”

“I'd be grateful if you and all your water dragon kind vaporize.”

Sing suppressed a sigh but couldn't hold back an eye roll.

“I saw that,” Yut Lung informed him.

“Good,” Sing retorted, “because, honestly, I'm getting tired of holding back and you _should_ know how infuriating you are.”

“I'm bored,” Yut Lung complained. “Seriously, you try living in a pond.”

Caged in and expected to do nothing but what was told by Sing and other guards like him until higher-ups had a plan for what to do with him, Sing could almost sympathize. Steep rock walls surrounded Yut Lung's environment on all sides, but Sing could return to his dragon form, scale them, and take to the skies in flight. He'd never felt trapped and couldn't fully imagine it, but he did know the binds of restrictions and regulations. Even if Yut Lung could live out of water, Sing would know better than to free him, no matter how sorry he felt, but he could do something else.

“Would it help if I gathered some gossip for you?” Sing asked. “You like hearing about the other worlds, don't you?”

Yut Lung shrugged and turned his back, but not before Sing caught a blush creeping onto his face. “I don't particularly care what others are up to, but it is better than knowing nothing at all. If I have to stay put, being informed is a must.”

Sing snickered. “So that's a 'yes, please,' am I right?”

“Do what you want,” Yut Lung answered.

Shaking his head, Sing gave in. It was as close to a 'yes' as he was going to get. “Fine, I'll talk to someone that has a bird's eye view of things, literally, and let you know what's been going on far and wide.” Before he took to his dragon form, he added. “I'm better than a paper boy, delivering news so fresh it hasn't hit the press yet.”

Yut Lung waved a hand, back still turned. “You're more like those human housewife gossipers I've heard about, or the half-competent sofa operas that occupy them.”

“'Half-competent,'” Sing muttered. “Thanks, I'll take that as half a compliment.”

With that, Sing looked to the sky, arms to his sides, and braced himself as his his neck and legs stretched, his arms melded with his body, and the color and texture of his skin changed. In yellow dragon form, he climbed his way up the waterfall rather than using the rocky surroundings, wanting to enjoy the spray on his scales and give Yut Lung a bit of a drenching with the swing of his tail. Once he reached the waterfall's top, he kept propelling, pushed until he took to the air. His scales went from yellow to iridescent, camouflaging him with the colors of nearby air particles and light. He didn't want to be seen by just anyone.

In time, he began his ascent, rising higher and higher into the clouds. He narrowed his eyes as he neared his destination, realizing that this place wasn't quite like he remembered. Namely, too quiet, even for beings that seemed to like keeping their voices down. Was this really the kingdom of the tengu?

He asked himself that, but really there was no mistaking it. Rainbows and sunbeams cut through the clouds, decorating like what Eiji called human world party streamers. Like the tengu's borrowed jewelry that they wore around their necks, potted soil and seeds had been brought here where they grew into entirely new species of fruit, the biggest and tastiest-looking of any worlds' because of direct rain and sunlight. The tengu didn't _need_ to eat and often let them grow as they pleased so, somehow, the plants thanked them by sustaining themselves, remaining healthy, and thriving with fruit that never seemed to rot, just acting as treats for visiting allies like Sing or ornaments. Where golden tiles didn't line the clouds as walkways, the clouds themselves functioned as the plushiest flooring around that held rather than acting like normal clouds and being something to fall through. It was all a mystery to Sing, as it should be. He was just a guest after all, nothing more.

When Sing reached the weight-bearing layers of cloud, he noticed faint bloodstains on them, a few broken feathers, and still felt the chill of how deserted the place was. He'd heard that there had been another war between the tengu and one of their many adversaries. He'd fought on the side of the tengu before himself, but he didn't think he was needed this time around. His duties kept him practically strapped to Yut Lung's side, but if he'd known how bad it had been . . .

Sing snapped out of his thoughts and looked around harder. Was Eiji here or had he been—?

There was a boy looking in Sing's direction, as though he could see him. He shouldn't be surprised. Tengu had quite a strong sense of perception, as far as Sing could tell. Sing landed and reverted back to a less intimidating shape, the guise of a human, similar to the tengu's own form.

“I'm looking for Eiji,” Sing said. “Have you seen him?”

“There's no one by that name here,” the little boy said.

“Well, he _used_ to be here,” Sing reasoned. “Do you know where he went?”

The boy shook his head. “As far as I know, no one here is named Eiji and no one ever was. _I've_ never met him. There's not that many tengu here so it's not hard to learn everyone's names.”

Sing frowned, racking his brain for what to do or say next to make sense of everything.“How long have you been here anyway?”

“Not long,” the boy admitted.

“Then that's why,” Sing said, mostly to himself. At least he knew he wasn't losing his mind, creating imaginary friends. Still, that meant most of the tengu had been wiped out. Sing felt dizzy but he kept a straight face. “Thanks anyway, kid.” Before readying his descent, Sing turned to the boy once more. “What's your name?”

“Everyone calls me Skip.”

“Skip,” Sing smiled. “I'll remember that.”

With that, Sing morphed again and took back to the skies in a plummet that could have made his stomach drop if he hadn't felt like he'd swallowed a rock as big as his fist already.

***

On his way back to Yut Lung, Sing traveled past Earth. He could at least try to find something to talk about and occupy his master's restless mind. He couldn't say much about the Tengu Kingdom itself, didn't want to. Being trusted to visit their home in the clouds was a privilege that Sing didn't want revoked, even if he may have lost his biggest reason for dropping by.

The place Eiji loved to chat about was a city called New York. He watched it tirelessly for some reason and had sparked Sing's own interest in it, thus that's where he decided to journey. A sound pierced him as he flew over, or a feeling, Sing wasn't sure but it pulled him to a beach. He landed a distance from any humans to change back into his presentable guise again, one that could pass for a young teenage Earth-dweller. He then took his time walking, still being tugged by an inexplicable gut feeling.

That's when he saw him.

“Eiji,” he shouted, almost getting tripped up in the sand as he began to trot.

Eiji turned to him, taking a moment to get over his surprise before he began waving. “Sing!”

Hearing Eiji shout almost made Sing come to a halt. Tengu always kept their voices down; some avoided talking altogether. Then again, there was something different about Eiji. Sing didn't experience the usual calm he got in Eiji's presence, at least not as strongly. As Sing got closer, he could see more clearly, and a lot of things caught his attention. Eiji was . . . glowing somehow but without his tengu aura, and Sing couldn't see wings on his back although he only wore a thin T-shirt, and there was someone sitting beside him, kicking at the waves, with golden hair that truly shimmered in the sun's light.

“Long time, no see,” Eiji said when Sing reached him, “and you're here on Ear—” he stopped himself from finishing that sentence, glancing at the few strangers milling about. “And you're in New York. That's a surprise . . . though not entirely.”

Sing sat beside him, narrowing his eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

“I was talking about you last time I was here because of the sudden powerful rain. I thought of that moment again just now, before you got here. Maybe it was some kind of telepathy.”

_So that was it_ , Sing thought, the pull he'd been feeling.

Eiji peeked around, seemingly making sure no one was near before saying, “A supernatural being can often sense another, so I guess that's what put the thought in my head to begin with. Though I don't feel like one lately, I guess I am still tengu after all.”

Eiji giggled then, but Sing started, looking past Eiji to the golden-haired boy still sitting calmly on the other side of him. He only gawked back at Sing, wary of _him_ and not what Eiji had just said. He was a human, wasn't he? How was Eiji talking about all this with him here? How was the guy not shocked out of his mind?

“Someone you know, I'm assuming,” the boy said, eyes still on Sing.

Eiji regarded him. “Ah, yes, sorry. This is one of the mediators I mentioned before, one who watches over a young water deity who can control rain. His name is Sing.”

The boy said nothing else, so Eiji turned back to Sing. “This is Ash,” Eiji explained.

“Is he human?”

“Of course.”

“And he knows about you, and now, me.” Sing didn't phrase his words as a question.

“He knows there are supernatural creatures around, yes,” Eiji confirmed. “Don't worry. He can be trusted.”

 _So you say_ , Sing thought, though he didn't contradict Eiji aloud. He fumed internally a bit, until he thought of one more thing he'd noticed while approaching Eiji: the smile Eiji had on his face before Sing called out to him, the reason he'd seemed to glow. No matter how often he'd visited in the clouds, Sing had never seen that face.

“So what exactly happened anyway?” Sing asked. “I went to the Tengu Kingdom before finding my way here and there were so few tengu that I thought you were dead. Did you lose your wings in the battle?”

Eiji shook his head. “I _did_ lose my original voice in a fight, kind of, but that was here on Earth. And my wings . . . they were injured in the battle and healed thanks to Ash. I went back to the Kingdom, saw it in ruins and was given a choice to stay or go back to Earth, at the cost of my wings.”

Sing blinked at Eiji in shock. “And you gave up your ability to fly? You were willing to keep yourself grounded?”

“I guess,” Eiji considered, “I found something better than flying, something that would have hurt far worse had I given it up.” Eiji cast a glance at Ash and the two locked eyes, smiling as they passed each other a knowing look.

Sing sighed, watching the two kick at the water some more. Eiji was wrong. He hadn't given up his wings to have a place on Earth, so much as to be a part of this Ash's world. Maybe that was wrong too. Honestly, it looked like the two of them had made their own world together, their own universe. Sing had the urge to clutch at his chest when the fires of envy ignited, but instead took a deep breath and smothered the flames. This was a good thing, Sing convinced himself, _a good thing_.

Sing managed to smile as he playfully warned. “Hey, be careful of the Shui Gui in this area. Many of them have been succeeding at drowning passersby. If you don't want to take their place haunting the sea as a vengeful spirit while your body is possessed and stolen, I suggest sticking close to land. At least, for now.”

“Right,” Eiji nodded, barely seeming to have heard his words since he made no move to leave the ocean's edge. “Thanks, Sing.”

“Sure.” Sing got up and brushed sand from his behind. He started to say 'Take care of yourself' to Eiji but stopped himself. “Take care of each other,” he said instead.

The two nodded and Sing slowly began his walk back to a spot where he could switch to dragon mode. He couldn't help but hear a few words of the two's private conversation as he left, Eiji saying, “I have a feeling, in another world, the two of you would have formed a good partnership, maybe even been friends.” Then a sigh and Ash responding, “I thought he was a decent kid and all, but don't exaggerate, Eiji.”

Sing grinned and carried on.

Today was a good day. Yeah, maybe he didn't have any daily human life stuff to tell Yut Lung about, but he had something twice as exciting. On his flight back, Sing considered if perhaps he should keep Eiji's integration into the human world a secret. Then again, Eiji didn't say he'd _had_ to. If Yut Lung didn't hear something to tickle his fancy, they'd all be in pouring rain for who-knew-how-long. What could relaying the tale of some wayward tengu hurt?

 


	2. Striking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sing tells Yut Lung about 'the wayward tengu' and gets a strange reaction from him. When Yut Lung asks him for time alone, Sing pays a visit to another acquaintance and decides to ask for a favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are two new characters in this chapter! You already knew Blanca was coming, but there is also another character I didn't mention but always wanted to write. I'll let him stay a surprise but will say that he's loosely based on Zhurong, god of fire who fights Gonggong (the water god Yut Lung is based on) to claim the throne of Heaven. He won't have the same role here, and he isn't Chinese, but he does rule the red element. I hope you enjoy him and his role in the story! Stay tuned next week to see how it all ends! ^_~

“All those people, and not a single one heard him say that he once had wings,” Sing said, giggling. “That just shows that humans can have their heads in the clouds even while their feet are still on the ground.”

Yut Lung didn't appear amused. His eyes narrowed at Sing like he was ready to shoot lightning from them. Since it wasn't implausible that he could develop that ability at any time, Sing sat at attention, ready to defend himself if necessary. “What is it?” he asked, trying to at least get a grasp on what had Yut Lung pissed now. He tried backtracking in his mind, wondering how and when he'd said something offensive.

“You're telling me a tengu fell for some human,” Yut Lung started, “and you see nothing wrong with that?”

“It surprised me,” Sing admitted. “Most humans don't handle supernaturals well. They either freak so hard they have heart attacks or they get filled with enough hate to go on a killing spree out of fear. One extreme or another is all I'd thought of them as, but this guy the tengu found was different somehow.”

Yut Lung waded through the lake, picking up one of the seashells Sing had gotten last minute from the beach to adorn it. Sing couldn't read his mood as he used the shell to begin filing his nails. “Different,” he muttered, blowing the shavings away and admiring his handiwork. “I see.” He took the used seashell in the palm of his hand and crushed it. When Yut Lung released his hand the shell's remains dribbled as a fine powder into the water at his feet. “Can you give me privacy for the rest of the day? I just want to think.”

Sing didn't like the sound of that. This guy didn't 'just' anything, and Sing didn't like the thought of him scheming. Still . . . “I have no choice,” he answered aloud. His job was to watch and advise, not control. In the end, Yut Lung was his master, no matter how rotten of a master he could be. “I'll pay some worlds a visit and be back tomorrow. Promise you won't cause too much trouble before I return?”

Of course, Yut Lung ignored him. Sing shrugged and went on. There was no point in worrying too much. Where he was going, he'd still have an eye on things. As long as the world shared the same sky, nothing Yut Lung could do would surprise him. Also, another guard was on standby should things get dangerous. Sing was hoping a time wouldn't come when he'd have to see _his_ face. Partners or not, it was too hard to tell what he was thinking and he did nothing but add to Sing's anxieties.

He pushed the thought away as he began to get uncomfortable in his own skin, knowing where he was going the temperature would only keep climbing. Sing knew a guy that lived in one of the hottest worlds around. Because of his aversion to extreme heat, Sing usually avoided this place, but now, with the way things were, he thought it was time that he and fire god Cain met up. Like the harshness of the tengu's latest battle, Sing didn't want any more important info to pass him by. So he wound up weaving through the land of black igneous rock walls and floors, highlighted only by thin streams of red-orange lava, being careful not to let his scaled skin slide where it didn't belong.

When he spotted Cain on his throne of cooled volcanic rock, Sing made a landing on a cool patch of his own. For a place like this, Sing decided to stay in dragon form. He and Cain could communicate just fine this way, after all. As a dragon, Sing had no problems processing speech, and Cain could hear and respond to thoughts that Sing wanted to transmit, even if they were left unspoken. It was a rare and easy connection that put Cain near the top of Sing's list of confidants.

“Sing,” Cain greeted him. “It's been a while. Any news?”

“Not much to tell,” Sing admitted. “But have you heard any stories on tengu lately?”

“Besides the war?” Cain asked and Sing nodded. “Well, there's a salamander that's always boasting about having killed a tengu while in the human world. A real mess of a creature that can't change from his lizard form because he supposedly used all his power to do it. Can't say I believe him though. But who can trust a creature that flicks its tongue like a snake with every word.”

Sing huffed in agreement.

“But you didn't just come here for gossip, did you?” asked Cain, raising an eyebrow. “I know how you hate this place. What made you stop by?”

Sing couldn't say that he'd seen a human with hair so bright gold that it glowed and made him think of flames, which led him to the god of fire on a whim when cast away from the lake by Yut Lung could he? That made him sound scatterbrained as hell. Though, thinking about it, it wasn't hard to come up with a better reason. There was something here that could come in handy later. Maybe his mind had just been thinking so far ahead it took Sing himself a moment to catch up. He should give his own smarts more credit. “I need a favor,” he admitted.

Cain blinked and waved a 'go ahead.' “Ask away.”

“You have that magic tarp that fends of water and gives air when you tie it on like a kind of helmet, right?”

“That's right,” Cain nodded. “Thanks to you keeping your water god under wraps, I haven't had to use it much, but I've still got it.”

“Can I have it?”

“Have? I'm willing to lend it, but . . .” Sing waited while Cain thought it over. “What do you even need it for?”

“A gift for a friend,” Sing admitted. _And his human._ He forced that last thought down to keep Cain from hearing it, but he couldn't tell if he'd succeeded or failed. Cain was giving him a wary look.

“I guess it's no trouble, seeing as they don't take long to craft. But do you mind doing me a favor as well?”

“What?”

Cain frowned. “Don't get too upset if someone like me has to put down that master of yours.”

Sing bristled, scales rising along his back in anger. “Is that a threat? We've been through a lot together, Cain. But one wrong move will make you an enemy.”

“Hold it, kid,” Cain said, holding up his hands. “I said 'someone like me,' in other words someone you consider a friend. You've got a big enough heart to care for a guy like him, but others aren't as practiced. They can see the path he's heading down and would rather end him than let him become a bigger threat, and I can't say I blame them. What I don't want is for you to risk your life for his sake.”

“That's literally what I'm supposed to do,” Sing reminded him.

Cain sighed, picking up some ash that the wind carried and swirled around. Within the spiral of black dust, Sing saw the shadows of his true bosses, the ones that assigned him to Yut Lung. As always, even if Sing were to drop in their domain and demand a meeting, their faces were shrouded. “These higher-ups that you work so hard for don't care what happens to you _or_ your master. Yut Lung is as much a pawn to them as you are to Yut Lung. If you fail and that brat water god dies, they'll mark him a failed experiment and start again by crafting a newer, better model. That new model fails? Rinse and repeat.”

Sing growled, baring his fangs. “Are you saying what I do is pointless? That I might as well kill Yut Lung myself and be free because none of it matters?”

“No, I'm not saying that. I wouldn't expect that of you, Sing. You don't have it in you, and that's a good thing. Just don't beat yourself up or hold grudges if it turns out you can't keep Yut Lung out of harm's way. There are a lot of supernaturals gunning for him.”

“You know some specifically.”

Cain's eyes narrowed. “I can't answer that. Just be careful out there.” From behind his throne he pulled out the tarp Sing had asked for. “Take this with you and know I'm wishing you well.”

The tarp was like a paper thin slice of an empty night sky. It didn't look special, but Sing knew it's potential. Cain had lent one to him once and Sing couldn't forget being able to see and breathe under the ocean's waves without the parts of him the tarp covered even feeling wet. All he'd done and seen and Sing still thought that moment was magical.

Bowing, Sing received the tarp with his teeth. “Thanks, Cain. I do appreciate this, at least. See you.”

Cain didn't say any more but Sing noted the lines of worry on the guy's face. Damn, maybe he shouldn't have come. More anxiety than he had before was worming around in Sing's stomach and growing, like some parasite. Yut Lung was troublesome, but was he really going to be _that_ much of a problem? _Probably as much as you'd always imagined_ , Sing thought. _That's what scares you._

Before going back to the lake, Sing hurried to the beach where he last saw Ash and Eiji, not expecting to be lucky enough to find them there again, and being right. He looped around the area, tarp held tight yet delicately in his jaws. It would be a job, locating them without Eiji giving him some kind of sign, but he felt desperate to do this, do _something_ for those two as he had no doubt that things would be getting rough soon. Even now, dark clouds had rolled in and it was starting to rain.

***

 

There was still a heavy onslaught of rain falling when Sing returned to the lake two days later. It hadn't stopped since Sing tarp delivery. It was his own fault, having neglected his post for so long after he'd found Eiji. Sing turning up near the place Ash had Eiji staying looking like a young kid just made the guy who owned the place, Shorter, and his sister want to take care of him. Sing was housed and fed and could only escape after he and Eiji both _guaranteed_ that he had someplace to be. They'd been nice, for humans, and the time away from the supernatural had given him a chance to cool his head and nerves, despite rain constantly beating at the Wong's windows as a reminder of everything.

He could see the lake now, but besides the barely contained rage on Yut Lung's face, something wasn't . . . right. Narrowing his eyes, Sing could just make out a shadow cruising beside Yut Lung. It didn't look like one of his snakes either. Sing suppressed a groan. It seemed he'd arrived at the same time as his elusive partner.

“The Black Turtle finally decided to show up, huh,” Sing heard Yut Lung say, pointing his nose.

As Sing landed, he took human form again, not wanting to get shown up as Blanca rose from the water in an attractive form of his own.

“Did you miss me?” Blanca asked Yut Lung.

Yut Lung sniffed. “Not at all.”

“And how about you?”

He directed a smile at Sing who playfully kicked his leg from behind. “Where have you been?”

“Around,” Blanca half-answered. “Some say work before play, but where's the fun in that?”

“Ugh, I wish you had a frog face like you should,” said Sing. “Where do you get off being like the only handsome Vodianoi around?”

Blanca shrugged. “It's a blessing and a curse.” He glanced at Yut Lung, face more serious now. “It seems I'm not the only one with a gift turned hex though.”

“This doesn't concern you,” Yut Lung shouted. “I'm fine.”

“The weather says otherwise,” Blanca said, pointing at the thick, dark coverage above.

True, those clouds were so full of rain, there was no end in sight of the downpour. Sing turned to Yut Lung. “He's right. Tell me what's with you so we can clear this up.”

“'What's with me,' you ask?” Yut Lung looked indignant as he paced, sometimes bending to fiddle with seashells in the water, and again Sing was going to ask what his deal was, but then he said more. “You told me supernaturals aren't meant to interact with humans, and you see that that winged boy has deserted his kingdom to live happy on Earth and do nothing?”

“What are talking about? What does that have to do with anything? And, I mean, what the hell did you want me to do? How is what he does my business to deal with?”

“Not your business, not like me,” Yut Lung said, voice low, seething. “You can let that tengu do what he pleases, but your whole goal in life is to keep me trapped. If you weren't here, I'd be free. It isn't fair. It isn't. Never mind that dumb winged boy, why couldn't it be me?” That was when he snapped, charging at Sing while armed with a seashell like a cutting blade.

Dodging, Sing tackled Yut Lung, seizing his wrists above his head and making him drop the seashell. “Would you calm down?” Sing asked. From the corner of his eye, Sing saw that Blanca wasn't making a single move to help stop this struggle. He was just gawking with his arms crossed, taking in the show. Sing clicked his tongue, irritated, as he waited for Yut Lung to quit squirming beneath him. When his master tired, Sing noticed how red and puffy his eyes were as he blinked through the rain.

“Are you crying?” Sing asked, mystified.

“Why does everyone treat me like an enemy?” Yut Lung said between sobs.

Sing eased his grip on the boy's wrists, but didn't let go. “Why? It's because _you're_ the one treating everyone like enemies when the only real enemy you have at this point is yourself.”

Yut Lung stopped sniveling and looked up at him, eyes wide. In an instant, he narrowed them again, back to looking devilish, smug. “You're just like everyone else,” he hissed. “You're just afraid of what I can do, what I _will_ do.”

“You're right, I am,” Sing admitted. “Because you're on a one-way path to destroy yourself. Your only hope is making a U-turn.”

Yut Lung scoffed. “If I'm my own enemy, as you say, then destroying myself might not be such a bad idea.”

Sing was the one to recoil this time. He actually released Yut Lung, got up off of him, and backed away because, for the first time, this guy truly terrified him. “Is there honestly nothing I can do or say to get you to regain your sanity?”

It was a serious question, but Yut Lung raised his head back in a roaring laugh. When he finished cackling, he didn't even try to answer Sing's question. Now no longer looking amused, just drained, he slogged to the lake's shallow end, plopped into a sit, and held his head in his hands. Storm still raging, it was still impossible to tell if the drops rolling from Yut Lung's face were rain or tears.

 


	3. Hibernating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yut Lung conjures a deadly downpour that shows no sign of stopping. Sing is at his whit's end, trying to figure out how to calm Yut Lung and stop the rain before someone uses less-than-kind means to beat him to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter is here! It was hard to crank this one out as I've been suffering a cold for about six days, but it's here! I know this story was short compared to its predecessor, but I hope you still enjoy the ride.
> 
> With the holidays coming, I'm going to be taking a writing hiatus and won't likely return on the Banana Fish fan fic scene until sometime in January (unless I manage a one-shot or two). While I can't make promises based so far into the future, if I still have the time and if anyone is still interested in this universe then, maybe I'll write a true sequel to “Dawn's Birdsong.” I have a lot of scenarios in mind for Ash and Eiji, Sing and Yut Lung, and others that we barely got a chance to explore like Nadia and Cain. Please consider this a stopping point for the Take Wing series, not a true conclusion, because no matter if I write a sequel or not, the stories of these characters still go on as long as you can imagine them.
> 
> Thank you so, so much for keeping up with this tale! I love you all! Until the next, take care~ \^o^/

A week had gone by and things were getting worse. Yut Lung's lake had broadened along with every body of water under his skies because of the rain that wouldn't even slacken, let alone cease. Sing worried over whether Yut Lung really intended to flood everything. He wasn't getting any more territory to roam because he was trapped in an open lake. The more water fell into the lake, the more water drained out, so the level never changed.

Sing wondered if getting Yut Lung a tarp like the one he'd given Ash and Eiji might have stopped any of this from happening. Maybe Yut Lung could have worn it, dived into the lake's depths and found a way to travel through the flow to a connecting river, and further on to an ocean. The opening wasn't large enough for someone Yut Lung's size to go through, but if Sing had done some digging in dragon form then . . .

“Rain is useless,” Yut Lung muttered to himself. “Everything is useless. Everyone should just drown.”

Sing was thankful he hadn't thought of finding a way to sneak Yut Lung out. Who'd want to be responsible for releasing someone like him into the world?

“Are you going to keep taking your frustrations out on the world like a child?” Sing asked. As he spoke, one of Yut Lung's snakes coiled around Sing's neck and gave a tentative squeeze. “Damn.” Sing yanked off the snake and tossed it into the water. “Stop using your pets to convey a message and talk to me. I can't do anything if you don't tell me how I can help.”

“I don't want help,” Yut Lung declared, glaring at Sing. “Not from you,” he added, turning away.

It was the first time in a while that Sing had seen any real emotion from him. Like the sky, he'd been dreary and devoid of color, rain scrolling down his face and flattening his hair. There had to be a limit to how long a person could mope.

“You don't really intend to flood every world you can, do you? I mean, you can be angry at me if you want, but to take it out on everybody—”

“What's wrong with that?” Yut Lung studied him again.

He had his arms crossed as he walked closer, almost looking like the normal Yut Lung that Sing had grown used to attending to, and not the depressed and crazed version that terrified him.

“I didn't ask for this life and _I'm_ being punished for no reason. Water . . . forever stuck in water. I'm just giving land-dwellers a taste of how it feels.”

“And what do you get out of it?”

Yut Lung was all frowns again. “I get nothing,” he admitted. “No matter what I do, I get nothing.”

How long he could mope wasn't the question anymore, Sing realized. What Sing really wondered was how much more of this he could take, and how much more other supernaturals would tolerate. Even though Sing himself had made allies by fighting others' wars, Yut Lung was no one's friend. Just watching the sky was getting dull and made Sing feel like he was getting nowhere. If there was one thing Sing and Yut Lung could see eye to eye on, it was how painful it was to be stuck, unable to do a damn thing.

***

Sing was getting worried. These days it was impossible to relax by lying on his back in the rain without drowning. A month more of this rain and no tarp, no matter how magical, would keep Ash and Eiji save. How many others were getting swept away by swollen rivers? How many cars had skidded out of control? How many homes were on their last legs, about to crumple on the families they were built to protect? He had to do _something._ _Or someone else will_ , he thought, remembering what Cain had told him. It was only a matter on time before some other entity took this matter into their hands and showed Yut Lung no mercy.

Still, he didn't know what to do about it. Would knocking him out cause a change in the weather? Desperate as he was, Sing wasn't about to resort to that just yet, no matter how frustrated Yut Lung got him. It's not like they were really enemies and Sing still couldn't fully blame him. There was no one to put blame on except beings so far above him that they were out of reach, and attacking without a target as Yut Lung was doing seemed pointless.

Sing was still in thought, when something interrupted him. A piercing sound rang in his head, making Sing wince. He recognized it, but it was louder and more desperate than when he'd first heard it. Eiji was calling him.

“I'm going to stretch my scales, if you don't mind,” he told Yut Lung.

He shouldn't have said anything. He just received a jealous glare that made him feel threatened and guilty at the same time.  _ Look,  _ Sing thought,  _ if you didn't flare up all the time, I might consider getting you out of that lake more seriously. _ But who was he kidding?

“I'll be back,” he added before taking off. He thought he saw a flicker of relief on Yut Lung's face before he took off. Did he think Sing would abandon him now, after everything? “You've got another think coming,” Sing said out loud when he was out of Yut Lung's hearing range.

His mind was mostly on Eiji now, as the signal from him got so persistent that Sing's head throbbed. Was he in danger or something? Sing quickened his pace, finding Eiji under an umbrella in a secluded part of the human world's streets. Right away Sing landed beside him and got in a more comfortable form so they could talk.

“What are you doing out here, and with a flimsy thing like that?” Sing chastised, pointing at the umbrella. “You could have at least used the tarp I gave you.”

Eiji shook his head. “This is more inconspicuous if someone saw me. Besides, I don't plan on being out long.”

“Is something wrong?” asked Sing, feeling anxious again.

“Ah, it isn't great here,” Eiji admitted, “but I didn't call for you because of that. I knew that you'd be working hard, getting this rain under control, but when it seemed to be taking a while, I decided to check on you, make sure _you_ weren't in any trouble.”

Sing gave a half smile. “I appreciate you getting concerned, but I'm also sorry that you had to. I mean, I am working hard, but the young master is being more stubborn than usual. Keep too much bottled in and an explosion is inevitable.”

Eiji nodded, saying “I understand.” But, not a second later, he was looking at the sky, brow furrowed in concern.

“Where's Ash?” Sing asked to give Eiji something else to think about.

“At home with Shorter and Nadia. He isn't here because he's running a fever. I promised I'd be back to him soon and that's why I can't stay out long.”

Sing was the one frowning now. “A fever, huh? I hope it isn't too serious. Is it because of the weather?”

Eiji didn't look like he wanted to answer. “He did begin feeling sick around the time the rain really started pouring, but I can't be sure . . .”

“That long? So it is serious,” Sing figured, turning away from Eiji. He suddenly felt like he shouldn't have shown up here. Sure, Yut Lung made the rain fall, but Sing was responsible too. He listened to the water trying to chug its way through the deserted streets' drains, listened harder to cars slogging in the distance. Smells of sun, food, flowers, were all lost to the thick and musty air. This was all his fault.

“Ash's fever goes up and down,” Eiji informed him, obviously attempting to provide some comfort. “While when it's bad, it's pretty bad, Ash does get some relief in early hours of the day – the chills and sweating stop and he can stomach cold soups. Nights are the worst for him, but I'm sure he'll recover. I'm not worried because Ash is strong, so you shouldn't be bothered either, Sing.”

“I'll try not to be, but I'd better go, Eiji. A trouble like this is a sign that there are probably a thousand others that I don't know about. I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on Yut Lung, and force him to clear the sky if I have to, before it's too late. I hope Ash gets better soon,” he added.

Eiji waved him off and Sing wasted no time riding the air currents to get back to the lake as fast as possible. He'd tried to ignore it, but he had a bad feeling that he was needed, right now. From the moment Cain brought it up, Sing had contemplated hard on what he'd do if someone came, out for Yut Lung's life. He was confident now that he would answer that he couldn't just stand and let it happen, couldn't retreat and abandon him; he had to do what he could. What else? He was no coward, or traitor. Too often it felt like Yut Lung had no one else. If not even the higher-ups cared, Sing would show that the world wasn't as cold and miserable as Yut Lung thought by standing by him.

Blinking rain droplets from his tired eyes that only reaccumulated, Sing landed, shook off his dragon form, and noticed Yut Lung was pointing his finger at him. Sing had no clue why. It made him want to turn and be sure that Yut Lung wasn't indicating that there was something behind him, but there was no real need. Yut Lung was definitely glaring right at him, eyes electric.

“What's up?” Sing asked. “Why are you—”

Before he could finish talking, a bolt shot from Yut Lung, just missing Sing's face. He could feel the hair on his head standing on end because of the static.

Lightning.

He could really shoot lightning, and he was still aiming at Sing with that pointed finger.

“Wait,” Sing begged. “You don't have to do this. I know I've made you angry, keeping you guarded and giving you rules, but—”

At that moment, Sing was interrupted again. This time it was because of a familiar form coming from the lake that almost made Sing sigh in relief. Soon Blanca was standing in front of Sing, grinning as though he weren't standing, drenched, between Sing and Yut Lung's deadly new weapon. He didn't know where this man's confidence came from, but Sing did notice that Blanca was fiddling with a large white gemstone that hung from a chain link necklace he had around his neck.

“Move out of the way, Black Turtle.” Yut Lung's voice came no louder than a whisper over the rain's persistent hiss. “I don't mind shooting you too.”

“I'd advise against shooting anyone, Master Yut Lung.”

“What are you going to do about it?” shouted Yut Lung, sounding like the last string holding his mind and reason together had snapped.

“Forget about giving you one last chance,” Blanca answered.

There was no time to wonder what he meant. With the swiftness of a cat, Blanca snatched off the necklace he was wearing and aimed it at Yut Lung. Out of the gem poured a stream of ice-cold wind that Sing could feel the burn of as the mist drifted over to him. But it was Yut Lung that got hit by the beam full-force. Their master's face lit up with horror and froze that way. His whole body was trapped in a great block of ice. Sing rounded on Blanca, furious.

“What the hell did you do?”

Blanca smirked at him and Sing growled, preparing to launch an attack. “Don't get uptight,” Blanca warned him. “If I wanted to kill him, we both know I would have dragged him to the depths of this lake a long time ago. He's still alive.”

Sing loosened up but didn't end his fighting stance. “Explain,” he ordered.

Blanca kept the annoying grin on his face. “I got this amulet on loan from some beings who wish to remain unnamed. And, as you can already tell, it has the power to freeze things. The young master is just frozen in time. He can be thawed out, even years from now, but he'll have his same memories and motives. He'll still be out to destroy this world as we know it and any others that oppose him.”

“If nothing changes, what did you freeze him for?” Sing asked. “To give yourself time to run away or something?”

“More like, to give you time to think of a plan to stop him. If we can't control him, someone else will take matters into their hands and I won't risk my life to guarantee his safety.”

“Some bodyguard you are,” Sing grumbled.

“It isn't Yut Lung I was guarding. It was this small world we've found ourselves on. I suggest you think over your own objectives. I can thaw him when you're ready.”

“And if years down the road, something's happened to you, how will I break the ice then?” Sing asked.

Blanca shrugged. “I suppose we'd all be off the hook then.”

Without another word, Blanca moved into the water, holding the ice-wielding necklace between his teeth. Sing watched as Blanca sank down, seemingly melting into the water itself, but actually transforming into a fish with the sense to keep its mouth clamped shut on the chain dangling from it, splashing away who-knew-where. Sighing, Sing rumpled his hair and gawked at the new ice statue he was in charge of watching over. If nothing else, his work was world's easier, as long as the higher-ups didn't find out. Yut Lung  _was_ still where he was supposed to be, technically, so no trouble, right? But, even so, could Sing really leave things as they were?

Sing groaned as he fell back with a splash onto the waterlogged stone floor, groan, reclining with his eyes on the clouds that had quit crying. Though his mind still whirled with indecision, he managed a smile. The sun was already peeking out and beaming back at him.

 

END

 


End file.
